Bud the Teacher

If you haven't heard about Bud the Teacher, he is a teacher consultant for Colorado State University, and formerly a high school language arts and journalism teacher. He also runs this blog, where he provides insight and information for teachers.

This is what the main page of his blog looks like.

I enjoyed reading through Bud's blog because of the way he reflects on his own personal experiences with teaching. He writes in an informal and relatable way that makes me feel like a friend is trying to teach me how to better myself as a teacher. He blogs about a variety of topics, from purposeful web presence to talking about things that are happening, such as his post about National Poetry Month.

One blog post I found particularly powerful was actually his second-most recent blog post, which talks about empowerment. It's titled "I'm Not in Love with the Word Empowerment," and he might be the first person I have ever heard say those words! He talks about how he has been able to use the word without thought in the past, but lately, anytime he hears it, it makes him cringe. He explains why like this: "Because for me to empower you, especially when I hear the word used by others, I've got to have something that you don't have, and I have to give it to you. That thing is, of course, power." That is something I have never considered before when I talk about wanting to empower my students, which is something that often comes up when talking about D/deaf and hard of hearing students (and probably most students receiving special education services, too).

I really enjoyed reading through Bud's blog. I found it to be insightful and thought-provoking in a much deeper way than I honestly anticipated from a blog. His posts made me want to be sure I take the time to reflect on my own teaching in the future, because I think that will be the best way for me to ensure that I am positively impacting my students in what I am doing myself. While my teaching will be about my students first and foremost, without reflecting on what I do, I will never grow or progress, and with all the up-and-coming technology (and the technology that already exists) alone, I need to be growing and changing with all of what is to come, instead of staying behind in the dust.

About me!

Hi! My name is Jes Mann. I am in the Deaf Education program, with a focus in middle grade science. I want to be a teacher because I love working with kids, and I love science, so combining the two brought me here! I decided on Deaf Ed specifically because I grew up signing, and I am very passionate about both American Sign Language and children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing. I love to help educate people about the Deaf community, too!

While in this class, I hope to get a more in-depth understanding of how to use technology in my classroom. I feel like I have a general knowledge of technology as a personal user, but I would like to gain more information about using technology professionally. Also, I hope to become more comfortable using newer technology, such as interactive whiteboards and wikis. I feel confident that by the end of this class, I will be more comfortable using technology for my classroom.